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Painting Pricing and Cost Guide
- Why We Built This Guide
One of the first questions homeowners ask us is: “How much does painting cost?” The honest answer is: it depends. But instead of hiding behind that, we want to be transparent and walk you through what affects pricing, give you realistic ranges, and help you understand the value you receive when working with a professional, local, family-owned company like ours
What Impacts the Cost of Painting?
Several factors influence price. Here’s what matters most:
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Size of the Project – square footage, number of rooms.
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Surface Conditions – repairs, sanding, priming, and prep work.
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Paint & Materials – quality of product (we use premium coatings like Sherwin-Williams Emerald, Duration, and Benjamin Moore lines).
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Detail & Complexity – trim, multiple colors, vaulted ceilings.
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Accessibility – height, ladders/lifts, or hard-to-reach areas, cluttered rooms, landscaping/hills(exterior).
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Season & Scheduling – interior work in winter vs summer.
Interior Painting Costs
Pricing includes prep, premium paints, two coats, and clean, professional results:
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Small Room Wall Painting(bedroom, office): $400-$600
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Bathroom and Kitchen Wall Painting: $300-$600
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Medium-Large Room Wall Painting(living room, family room, open concept kitchen/living room): $600 – $1,200
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Kitchen Cabinets: $5,000-$8,000
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Ceilings: Approximately $1/sq ft depending on style and height of ceiling, $150-$300
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Popcorn Removal: $7-$10 per sq ft(12×12 room is typically $1,000 – $1,200 including the cost of materials)
- Is there a drastic color change? Most color changes cover well in two coats, however going from, say, a dark blue to white will require an additional third coat. Bright white colors and vivid colors typically require a third coat and a few extra hours of labor and material. This is all to ensure proper coverage
- Are there any major drywall repairs? Large damages to drywall and stress crack repairs add time to a project. To repair, we cut the crack, apply fiber tape, apply mud, sand and prime before painting. Small drywall repairs like nail holes or a ding on the wall are included in our standard prep.
- How tall is the room? An 8 foot wall height is quicker and takes less material than painting a 9 or 10+ foot tall room.
- Are there any built-ins or extra areas to cut around? Painting clean lines around built-in cabinets or many windows takes additional time. We also take extra time to mask any built-in’s or areas not being painted.
- Sinking “nail pops” is common on stairwells. They are typically a screw that is pushing through the drywall. We cut a small 1”x1” hole, sink the screw, patch, prime and paint.
Exterior Painting Costs
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Full Exterior(siding and trim): $8,000(2025 Average Exterior Job Size), most typical range between $6,000-$12,000.
- Size and Height of Your Home
- Surface Type and Material
- Current Condition of the Surface.
- Prep Work Required- scraping, sanding, priming, caulking, masking, carpentry.
- Accessibility and Logistics- landscaping, gardens, hills.
- The cost of painting the exterior of your home depends on much more than square footage. The condition, materials, prep work, and paint you choose all factor into the investment. Our goal is to help you understand these variables so you can make the best decision for your home.
Baseboards and Crown Molding
- Recoating previously painted baseboards or crown molding typically ranges from $150 to $250 per room.
- Converting stained baseboards or crown molding to a painted finish typically costs between $250 and $350 per room.
Door Frames
- Recoating previously painted door frames typically ranges from $100 – $130 per frame.
- Converting stained door frames to a painted finish typically ranges from $200 – $230 per frame.
Doors
- Recoating previously painted doors typically ranges from $150 – $250 depending on the style of door.
- Converting stained door frames to a painted finish typically ranges from $370 – $425 depending on the style of door.
- Working on doors with windows, or intricate wooden patterns take significantly longer than a standard interior door.
Window Trim
Standard Windows(Includes Casing, Jamb, and Sill)
- Recoating previously painted window trim (no other areas) typically ranges from $100 – $175 depending on the style of window.
- Converting stained window trim (no other areas) to a painted finish typically ranges from $250 – $350 depending on the style of window.
Double Hung Windows + Casing, Jamb, and Sill
- Recoating previously painted windows and double hung windows typically ranges from $220 – $300 per window depending on size and style.
- Converting stained windows and double hung windows to a painted finish typically ranges from $400 – $500 per window depending on size and style.
- Each window is different and factors like grilles, difficulty to access areas of the windows, and repairing damages on the wood contribute to prices changing.
Ceilings
Popcorn vs smooth
Application Method: Our process for painting ceilings varies depending on the texture of the ceiling, and if we are painting any other areas in the space. We paint most ceiling projects using a paint sprayer. This ensures a smooth finish without risking damaging popcorn or knockdown texture. On occasion we may brush and roll a smooth ceiling, especially if the space is smaller.
Stress cracks on a ceiling are more involved than drywall stress cracks due to having to match texture after repairing. After repairing a stress crack and re-texturing the cracks should not come back. There may be a slight difference in texture after a major ceiling repair.
12×12 room – $150 – $350 depending on stress crack repair, water damage, re-texturing and if we are painting the walls. If we are painting the walls there is a little bit less masking we need to do.
Popcorn Removal: $7–$10 per sq foot
Popcorn ceiling texture removal to knockdown or smooth typically falls between $7 and $10 per square foot in Minneapolis. Our price tends to land on the $8 per foot range for most projects.
Popcorn removal in a 12×12 room is typically $1,000 – $1,200 including the cost of materials.
The factors that can influence pricing are:
- Whether or not the popcorn ceiling has been painted before.
- Are there any stress cracks to repair before we skimcoat?
- Are any areas difficult to access? Stairwells with intermediate landings are trickier than a standard bedroom.
- Are we removing popcorn texture in the closets of the bedrooms?
Kitchen Cabinets: $5,000-$7,000
Our process for painting cabinets or built-ins
- Mask off counter-tops, walls, floor, door ways, and appliances.
- Remove Doors, Drawers, and Shelves(Re-install after painting).
- Clean all cabinet surfaces with degreaser.
- Sand all cabinet surfaces with medium grit sand pads.
- Vacuum and wipe clean surfaces with a micro-fiber towel.
- Apply 1-2 coats of Oil-Based Primer.
- Fill any nail holes, dents, and imperfections after prime coat and spot prime.
- Sand again with fine-grit sand pads prior to applying the finish coat.
- Apply two coats of Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Enamel.
Kitchen Cabinet projects typically range between $5,000 and $7,000 to complete. The main factors in pricing are door and drawer count and if we will be repairing damages to the wood during out prep process. Converting from stained to paint takes an extra coat of oil primer and sanding. Re-coating previously painted cabinets in good condition (no major peeling, just normal we and tear) are slightly quicker to complete and require less material.
Things to consider when comparing estimates:
- Not all products offer the same durability, coverage, and final finish. Headwaters Painting uses the highest quality products on the market from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore. We use products that we are experienced in applying on every project to ensure the best end result. Differences in product choice can impact the total cost of a project with paint ranging from $35 – $110 per gallon.
- Do you trust one company more than another? When gathering estimates it is important to consider which company you trust the most. Did they show up on time and communicate before the appointment? Did they provide a clear and accurate scope of work including products, number of coats, and written timelines? Did they explain their crews and who may be working on your project? Did anything feel unclear?
- Did the estimates you are comparing offer the same warranty? Headwaters Painting offers a 3-year warranty on all work we complete.
- Did they include a complimentary color consultation? Headwaters Painting includes a 90-minute consultation with Mary Fidler, who owns and operates Design Intervention.
- What type of business is providing the estimate? Is it a franchise, single operator, or team of painters? How long have they been serving the Twin Cities? Headwaters Painting is a small family and woman owned business based in Northeast Minneapolis. We have been in business since 2015!
- Are they Professionalized? Headwaters Painting is actively involved in the Paint Contractors Association (PCA). The PCA Is a 140-year old non-profit that centers around professionalizing the painting industry. Headwaters Painting has been a Minnesota’s best award winner multiple years in a row. Our team has developed strong relationships with vendors, coating sales representatives, and industry peers to create efficient and lasting solutions for our clients.
- Did the estimate provide proof of insurance and workers compensation? Headwaters Painting is fully insured, has a current workers comp policy, and is lead certified. All of our crews are lead certified as well.
- We are open to price matching other estimates you have gathered. To reduce our estimate we would need to see a copy of the other estimate you gathered so we can compare apples to apples. We will let you know within 24 hours if we are able to reduce our price.
We hope this blog post provided a ballpark for what to expect when hiring a professional painting company in the Twin Cities. Every painting project we visit is unique and we would be happy to visit your space and provide an accurate and transparent no-pressure estimate
